Visiting the Grange Fair in Pennsylvania: Draft Horses, Clydesdales & a One-of-a-Kind Fair Tradition
If you want to experience a Pennsylvania fair that feels deeply connected to the local community, agriculture, and generations of family tradition, the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair in Centre Hall is worth putting on your summer list.
There are rides, fair food, animals, exhibits, competitions, and entertainment, but what makes the Grange Fair especially interesting is everything happening beyond the midway. Families actually live at the fair in tents and RVs, agricultural traditions are still very much part of the experience, and some of the most impressive sights can be found in the equine area.
Centre County Grange Fair at a Glance
What Makes the Grange Fair Different?
The Grange Fair is not simply a fair that people visit for an afternoon. For many Centre County families, it becomes home for more than a week each August.
Rows of tents and RVs create what almost feels like a temporary town inside the fairgrounds. Families decorate their spaces, sit outside together, visit neighbors, and return year after year.
The official Grange Fair describes it as the only remaining tenting fair in the nation. Around 1,000 tents and 1,500 RVs become part of the fair community each year.
Even if you are only visiting for a few hours, walking past the tenting area gives you a sense of why this fair means so much to local families. It is part fair, part campground, part reunion, and part agricultural tradition.
Don’t Skip the Draft Horses
One of the best parts of the Grange Fair is exploring the areas that you might walk past if you came only for rides and food.
The draft horse show is a good example.
These horses are enormous when you see them in person. The fair’s draft horse program includes breeds such as Clydesdales, Shires, Belgians, and Percherons, with classes ranging from individual horses and carts to teams and multi-horse hitches.
You do not have to know anything about draft horses to enjoy watching them. Take a little time to notice the horses themselves, the harnesses, the preparation, and the communication required between the horses and their drivers.
The Six-Horse Hitch Is Worth Seeing
If you are deciding which horse event to make time for, look for the six-horse hitch.
Six large draft horses are harnessed together in three pairs and driven as a single team. Seeing one draft horse up close is impressive. Watching six of them move together while pulling a wagon is something completely different.
There is a surprising amount of precision involved. Each horse has a position in the hitch, and the driver has to control the entire team through the reins. From the spectators’ point of view, you see six huge horses moving together almost as if they were one.
For the 2026 Grange Fair, the official draft horse schedule includes Classic Six Horse Hitch classes as well as the James & John Cole Memorial Classic Six Horse Hitch. Because the schedule can change from year to year, check the current draft horse schedule before choosing which day to visit.
Check the horse schedule before you arrive rather than assuming the draft horse events happen continuously throughout the day. If the six-horse hitch is important to you, plan the rest of your fair visit around its scheduled time.
Spend Some Time in the Agricultural Areas
One of the easiest mistakes to make at a county fair is spending the entire visit between the rides and food stands.
At the Grange Fair, the agricultural side is part of the experience.
Walk through the barns. Look at the livestock. Stop at the exhibits. Watch a competition even if it is something you have never seen before.
You may arrive knowing very little about draft horses, livestock judging, or agricultural competitions and leave having learned something simply because you took the time to watch.
That is one of the things I like about local fairs. They give visitors a chance to see traditions and skills that are still important to the people who live in the area.
Yes, There Are Rides and Fair Food Too
Of course, you can still have the classic fair experience.
Leave time to walk through the midway, choose a favorite fair food, browse vendors, and see what entertainment or competitions are happening that day.
If you are visiting with children or teenagers, it can help to divide the day into sections rather than spending the entire visit at the rides. Try a few rides, explore the animals, get something to eat, watch an event, and then return to the midway.
The Grange Fair is large enough that there is usually something happening somewhere on the grounds.
A Few Tips Before Your First Grange Fair
- Look at the daily schedule first. Horse shows, contests, concerts, motorsports, and other events happen at specific times.
- Wear comfortable shoes. The grounds are large, and you can easily do more walking than expected.
- Give yourself time to wander. Some of the most interesting parts of the fair are not necessarily the things you planned to see.
- Visit the equine area. Even if you are not normally interested in horse shows, the draft horses are worth seeing up close.
- Do not rush through the tenting area. It is one of the traditions that makes this fair different from most county fairs.
- Check current prices and schedules. Admission, parking, entertainment, and event times can change from year to year.
2026 Grange Fair Information
The 2026 Centre County Grange Fair runs August 21 through August 29 in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania.
For 2026, general daily admission is listed as $8 and daily parking as $7. Because prices and schedules can change, confirm the latest information directly with the fair before traveling.
Check the Official Grange Fair Schedule
Why the Grange Fair Is Worth Experiencing
You could visit the Grange Fair for rides and food and have a good time. But I think the more interesting way to experience it is to look beyond the midway.
Watch the draft horses. Walk through the animal areas. Look at the rows of tents where families return year after year. Stop and watch a competition you know nothing about.
And if the six-horse hitch is happening while you are there, find a seat and watch.
Experiences like these are a reminder that some of the best things to see while traveling are not necessarily famous attractions. Sometimes they are local traditions that have been happening for generations, surrounded by people who understand exactly why they matter.
Explore More of Central Pennsylvania
If you are spending more time in central Pennsylvania, continue exploring the area with another Greater Than a Tourist travel experience.
Read 11 Things to Know About Your First Trip to Black Moshannon State Park
Greater Than a Tourist shares practical travel ideas and local perspectives to help travelers experience more than the typical tourist attractions.
